A Superhero Returns

Once upon a time, boys played with toys they didn’t have to plug in, turn on, or reboot.

“Captain Action was my very favorite toy,” recalls 50-something Ridgewood resident Ed Catto.  “I vividly remember opening it up one Christmas, and having him fight GI Joe. We got all the neighborhood kids to play. We used to build an entire city in the yard.”

The Captain was a superhero’s superhero. He had the ability to change into other superheroes (if you bought the kit) like Superman, Batman, Captain America, Spider-Man, the Lone Ranger, Flash Gordon. But all his powers could not save him. In 1968, just two years after it had been introduced, the Ideal toy company discontinued Captain Action. A return to toy store shelves in 1998 also lasted just two years.

Now the Captain is back in action.

The launch was last Wednesday, and Catto says they have already almost sold out the 1,000 figures his company ordered from toy maker Moebius Models. A comic book will be released next month (www.moonstonebooks.com/CA.asp), and there are already t-shirts, hoodies and mugs with the Captain Action logo for sale at www.captainactionnow.com.

Catto says one key to success is to license characters such as Batman and Spiderman like the 1960s Captain Action, something the 1998 version failed to do. He says his company is in negotiations with the likes of DC and Marvel comics.

He also thinks nostalgia for boyhood toys will be a plus. Captain Action kits have become prized collectibles: his 1960s Superman uniform, still in the original box, was going for $800 at e-Bay yesterday.

The new figure can be yours for $34.95. You can play with it, or leave it in the box and check back 30 years from now.

Tags: comic books

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